Saturday  Morning July 23rd. Off Ushant.   48:29.0N 05:09.4W

Apologies to our regular readers for missing out the switch to Jersey from Guernsey. Jersey was where we could get attention quickest.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx0000000000000000xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I report that the Champagne (see Thursday 21 July) did not make it to Ushant. We opened it last night at Happy Hour as we sailed westward from Jersey and toasted the health and long life of Gavin Painter from IT at C Ltd (www.it-at-sea.com)

It was Gavin’s innovative and pragmatic solution which has got us going again. He mentored me by phone essentially to divide the boat’s network in to two separate data feeds and ring fencing the steering from the rest of the network. I can’t say that it is pretty, but it has been working  now for 18 hours. Many, many thanks to Gavin!!  So, some sea trials to calibrate the system and then we were off! We cannot tell you how good that feels.

The weather forecast is still good – from the Northern sector  but lighter winds are predicted. So maybe the Arabs will benefit!   We had an uneventful evening. I sat and worshiped at the shrine in which the jury rig now sits:

So we are now off Ushant. It is an unprepossessing island, about 15 miles off the Britanny peninsular featureless save for two light houses and a mobile phone mast:

…………unremarkable enough save that it marks the  turning point on our journey south!

Cape Finisterre bears 220 degrees M , range 380miles and with a fighting chance of getting to Gibraltar in time to rendezvous with John and Susie as planned.

So all ia well, morale is good and the sun is shining. Pity the wind is only 8 knots true!!

David.